US20030223666A1 - Low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer - Google Patents
Low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer Download PDFInfo
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- US20030223666A1 US20030223666A1 US10/156,229 US15622902A US2003223666A1 US 20030223666 A1 US20030223666 A1 US 20030223666A1 US 15622902 A US15622902 A US 15622902A US 2003223666 A1 US2003223666 A1 US 2003223666A1
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- zone
- convolution
- yielding
- elastic
- spacer
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C25/00—Bearings for exclusively rotary movement adjustable for wear or play
- F16C25/06—Ball or roller bearings
- F16C25/08—Ball or roller bearings self-adjusting
- F16C25/083—Ball or roller bearings self-adjusting with resilient means acting axially on a race ring to preload the bearing
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C19/00—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement
- F16C19/54—Systems consisting of a plurality of bearings with rolling friction
- F16C19/546—Systems with spaced apart rolling bearings including at least one angular contact bearing
- F16C19/547—Systems with spaced apart rolling bearings including at least one angular contact bearing with two angular contact rolling bearings
- F16C19/548—Systems with spaced apart rolling bearings including at least one angular contact bearing with two angular contact rolling bearings in O-arrangement
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C35/00—Rigid support of bearing units; Housings, e.g. caps, covers
- F16C35/04—Rigid support of bearing units; Housings, e.g. caps, covers in the case of ball or roller bearings
- F16C35/06—Mounting or dismounting of ball or roller bearings; Fixing them onto shaft or in housing
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C19/00—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement
- F16C19/22—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing rollers essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows, e.g. needle bearings
- F16C19/34—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing rollers essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows, e.g. needle bearings for both radial and axial load
- F16C19/36—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing rollers essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows, e.g. needle bearings for both radial and axial load with a single row of rollers
- F16C19/364—Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing rollers essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows, e.g. needle bearings for both radial and axial load with a single row of rollers with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- F16C2361/00—Apparatus or articles in engineering in general
- F16C2361/61—Toothed gear systems, e.g. support of pinion shafts
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H48/00—Differential gearings
- F16H48/38—Constructional details
- F16H48/42—Constructional details characterised by features of the input shafts, e.g. mounting of drive gears thereon
- F16H2048/423—Constructional details characterised by features of the input shafts, e.g. mounting of drive gears thereon characterised by bearing arrangement
Definitions
- the present invention relates in general to collapsible spacers adapted to be placed between a pair of bearings mounted on an axle or spindle or the like for use as a bearing preloading element, and more particularly to a multi-convoluted collapsible spacer having a low spring rate.
- drive shafts in many applications are rotatably mounted within a gear housing through tapered roller bearings.
- a pinion shaft 102 driven by an internal combustion engine through a transmission is rotatably supported in a differential carrier 104 that forms part of a vehicular drive axle.
- the pinion shaft 102 has at its inner end a beveled pinion gear 110 , which meshes with a beveled ring gear 112 in the carrier 104 .
- the ring gear 112 in turn is connected to a differential mechanism (not shown).
- the mesh of the pinion gear 110 and the ring gear 112 must be proper, lest the differential mechanism will generate excessive noise and wear rapidly.
- the pinion shaft 102 rotates within the differential carrier 104 on inner and outer tapered roller bearings 106 and 108 , respectively, which are mounted in opposition to each other along an axis x of rotation.
- the bearings 106 and 108 are set to a condition of preload, so as to impart rigidity to the shaft 102 (rigidity in the sense that the shaft 102 will rotate in the carrier 104 without any radial or axial play) and eliminate all axial and radial free motion between the shaft 102 and the carrier 104 , while still allowing rotation with minimum friction within the carrier 104 , thus achieving the proper mesh.
- too much preload will cause the bearings 106 and 108 to overheat and fail prematurely.
- too little preload may cause the bearings to acquire end play, and this likewise decreases the life of the bearings and introduces radial and axial play into the shaft 102 .
- the pinion shaft 102 extends through a tubular extension 114 on the carrier 104 , the axis of which coincides with the axis x.
- the shaft 102 adjacent to the beveled pinion gear 110 possesses an inner bearing seat 116 around which the inner bearing 106 fits and an outer seat 118 around which the outer bearing 108 fits.
- the outer seat 118 is considerably longer than the inner seat 116 and terminates at a shoulder 120 , which is located between the two seats 116 and 118 .
- the pinion shaft 102 is provided with threads 122 over which a nut 124 is threaded.
- the nut 124 is turned down against the shaft 102 to clamp the bearings 106 and 108 between a drive flange 126 and the pinion gear 110 .
- the extent to which the nut 124 is turned determines the setting for the bearings 106 and 108 .
- the nut 124 serves to preload the bearings 106 and 108 by advancing the outer bearing 108 over an outer bearing seat 118 on the pinion shaft 102 .
- the bearings 106 and 108 exist in a state of end play in which the pinion shaft 102 can move both axially and radially with respect to the differential carrier 104 and, of course, rotate as well.
- the nut 124 is turned down over the thread 122 at the end of the shaft 102 , it forces the outer bearing 108 along the outer bearing seat 118 of the pinion shaft 102 .
- the outer bearing 108 encounters a convoluted collapsible spacer 128 , which now becomes snugly lodged between the outer bearing 108 and the shoulder 120 at the end of the seat 118 .
- the spacer 128 collapses.
- the rollers of the two bearings 106 and 108 seat against the raceways of their respective cups and cones. This represents a condition of zero endplay—a condition in which the shaft 102 cannot shift axially or radially with respect to the housing 102 .
- some preload is usually desired to insure adequate rigidity or stiffness in the pinion shaft 102 and desired performance from the gears 110 and 112 .
- the preload setting for the bearings 106 and 108 is usually desired to insure adequate rigidity or stiffness in the pinion shaft 102 and desired performance from the gears 110 and 112 .
- the convoluted collapsible spacers for use as a bearing preloading elements are well known to those skilled in the art.
- the collapsible spacers have a substantially unitary thickness, and are made of a relatively thin strip of metal that is formed into a band and is then further formed so as to be convoluted or undulating in cross section, and are adapted for being compressed to a yield point of the material from which the spacers are made and which will thereafter compress under a substantially constant load for a substantial distance.
- the dash line in the FIG. 2 depicts a graph M showing an axial load F applied upon the conventional collapsible spacer 128 as a function of an axial deformation ⁇ of the spacer, and illustrates graphically the manner in which the conventional spacer performs when it is compressed.
- Such a spacer when compressed in the axial direction, will first deform resiliently, like a spring, with the force required to effect the compression increasing substantially linearly with the amount of compression (section A-B′ of the graph M, as indicated by line 130 ).
- a yield strength (or an elastic limit) of the material of the spacer will be reached (point B′ of the graph M), and the spacer will thereafter start to undergo plastic deformation and offer substantially constant resistance to deformation up to a point where the spacer commences to flatten out section (from point B′ of the graph M on, as indicated by line 132 ).
- the axial load applied upon the conventional collapsible spacer is released (e.g. by turned the nut 124 up over the thread 122 of the shaft 102 as shown in FIG. 1), the spacer will expand in the axial direction substantially linearly (section C′-D′ of the graph M, as indicated by line 34 ).
- the conventional convoluted collapsible spacers have a relatively high spring rate, thus the low amount of “spring back”.
- the term “spring back” herein refers to a specific resilient deformation of the collapsible spacer in the direction of the expansion thereof when the axial load applied thereupon is released. As a result, they are very sensitive to wear, and are prone to significant change in the bearing preload during the operation that negatively affects bearing life and pinion position.
- the present invention provides a novel low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer adapted for use as a bearing preloading element.
- the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the present invention comprises a substantially tubular body compressible in an axial direction thereof from a predetermined free length to a substantially shorter length.
- the tubular body includes a yielding zone and an elastic zone adjacent to said yielding zone.
- Each of the yielding and elastic zones has at least one convolution curved in the same radial direction and interconnected with a central convolution curved in the opposite radial direction to the convolutions of the yielding and elastic zones.
- each of the yielding zone and the elastic zone of the collapsible spacer of the present invention has one convex convolution interconnected with the central concave convolution.
- the tubular body of the collapsible spacer of the present invention has a substantially variable thickness in the axial direction. More specifically, an average thickness of the body of the collapsible spacer in the elastic zone is substantially greater than an average thickness of the body in the yielding zone.
- Such an arrangement provides the collapsible spacer a substantially higher resiliency in the axial direction in the elastic zone than in the yielding zone.
- the novel collapsible spacer has a lower spring rate, as compared to the conventional collapsible spacers, thus larger amount of “spring back”.
- the convolutions of the yielding zone and the elastic zone of the spacer have substantially the same outside diameter.
- an outside diameter of the convolution of the yielding zone is substantially smaller than an outside diameter of the elastic zone of the spacer.
- the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the present invention represents a novel arrangement of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer providing less sensitivity to wear and maladjustment that allows reliable bearing preloading and drastically reduces the labor cost of assembling and preloading of the tapered bearings in the various gear mechanisms.
- FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a typical differential carrier of the prior art including a pinion shaft mounted on a pair of tapered bearings and preloaded with a conventional collapsible spacer;
- FIG. 2 is a graph showing load-axial deformation curves for the conventional collapsible spacer and a multi-convoluted collapsible spacer of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the alternative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the alternative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 3 and 4 show a substantially tubular multi-convoluted collapsible spacer 10 according to the present invention before assembly with members, which it is to engage and be compressed between.
- the collapsible spacer 10 has a substantially tubular body 12 formed of a strip of metal pressed or rolled to the desired configuration defining an axis of symmetry (or a central axis) 14 defining an axial direction of the spacer 10 .
- the collapsible spacer 10 is compressible in the axial direction thereof (the direction of the central axis 14 ) from a predetermined free length to a substantially shorter length.
- the material of the body 12 of the collapsible spacer 10 is a strong ductile metal, such as precipitation hardening nickel alloys, or austenitic stainless steels, which will sustain substantial deformation without fracture.
- the body 12 of the collapsible spacer 10 is rolled into a tubular configuration from the metal strip by forming rolls, and, thereafter, the body 12 may be stress relieved by annealing, and may be hardened to a desired degree by heat treatment.
- the spacer 10 has axially opposite end portions 16 a and 16 b each including a substantially annular contact face 18 a and 18 b , respectively.
- the contact faces 18 a and 18 b lie in planes substantially parallel with each other and substantially perpendicular to the central axis 14 .
- the collapsible spacer 10 consists of smoothly joined curved convolutions. In the uncompressed condition in which the element is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the contact faces 18 a and 18 b are substantially parallel with each other.
- the material of the collapsible spacer 10 is a strong ductile metal, such as precipitation hardening nickel alloys, or austenitic stainless steels, which will sustain substantial deformation without fracture.
- the tubular body 12 of the collapsible spacer 10 includes a substantially tubular yielding zone 20 adjacent to one end portion 16 a thereof, and a substantially tubular elastic zone 22 adjacent to the other end portion 16 b thereof.
- the yielding zone 20 includes at least one convolution 24 .
- the elastic zone 22 includes at least one convolution 26 integrally connected to the convolution 24 via a central convolution 25 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the specific number of convolutions in the yielding zone 20 or in the elastic zone 22 may be subject to variation depending on the particular application. However, preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each of the yielding zone 20 and the elastic zone 22 of the collapsible spacer 10 of the present invention has one convex convolution 24 or 26 , respectively.
- the convolutions 24 and 26 are both Convex radially outwardly, while the central convolution 25 is concave radially inwardly. It will be appreciated that the respective convolutions may be concave toward the outside or inside of the body 12 of the spacer 10 , although the convolutions in any case will alternate with regard to the direction of concavity.
- the tubular body 12 of the collapsible spacer 10 of the present invention has a substantially variable thickness in the direction of the axis 14 .
- an average thickness of the body 12 in the elastic zone 22 is substantially greater than an average thickness of the body 12 in the yielding zone 20 .
- a thickness t 2 of the body 12 at an apex of the convolution 26 of the elastic zone 22 is substantially greater than a thickness t 1 of the body 12 at an apex of the convolution 24 of the yielding zone 20 .
- the tubular body 12 of the spacer 10 displays substantially higher elasticity in the zone 22 than in the zone 20 .
- the body 12 in the elastic zone 22 is in average as much as 1.5 mm thicker than in the yielding zone 20 . It will be appreciated that the specific difference in the average thickness of the body 12 of the spacer 10 between the yielding zone 20 and the elastic zone 22 is the subject to variation.
- the convolutions 24 and 26 of the yielding zone 20 and the elastic zone 22 of the spacer 10 have substantially the same outside diameter.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a multi-convoluted collapsible spacer 10 ′ of the alternative embodiment of the present invention.
- Components, which are unchanged from, or function in the same way as in the preferred exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 are labeled with the same reference numerals without describing detail since similarities between the corresponding parts in the two embodiments will be readily perceived by the reader.
- the main difference of the solution of FIGS. 5 and 6 with respect to that of FIGS. 3 and 4 lies in that in this case an outside radius R 1 of the convolution 24 of the body 12 in the yielding zone 20 is substantially smaller than an outside radius R 2 of the convolution 26 of the body 12 in the elastic zone 22 of the spacer 10 .
- the solid line in the FIG. 2 depicts a graph N showing an axial load F applied upon the collapsible spacer 10 as a function of an axial deformation ⁇ of the spacer 10 , and illustrates graphically the manner in which the spacer 10 of the present invention performs when it is compressed.
- both the convolution 24 of the yielding zone 20 and the convolution 26 of the elastic zone 22 thereof will first deform resiliently, like a spring, with the force required to effect the compression increasing substantially linearly with the amount of compression (section A-B of the graph N, as indicated by line 30 ).
- a yield strength (or an elastic limit) of the material of the spacer 10 will be reached (point B of the graph N), and the convolution 24 of the yielding zone 20 of the spacer 10 will thereafter start to undergo plastic deformation and offer substantially constant resistance to deformation up to a point where the spacer commences to flatten out section (from point B of the graph N on, as indicated by line 32 ), while the convolution 26 of the elastic zone 22 will remain elastically deformed.
- point C of the graph N for example, the axial load applied upon the collapsible spacer 10 is released (e.g. by turned the nut 138 up over the thread 136 of the shaft 102 as shown in FIG.
- the spacer 10 will expand in the axial direction substantially linearly (section C-D of the graph N, as indicated by line 34 ) exhibiting much lower spring rate than the conventional collapsible spacers, as represented by the graph M in FIG. 1, due to elasticity of the elastic section 22 .
- the line 30 of the graph N is substantially parallel to the line 34 thereof.
- the low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer 10 of the present invention may be compressed and released repeatedly, and each time that the spacer 10 is compressed along the line 32 , the return line 34 when it is released will remain parallel to the line 30 , but displaced rightward on the graph.
- the load-deformation characteristic of the spacer 10 will, thus, be maintained substantially constant throughout the axial deformation of the spacer 10 until the convolutions of the spacer start to collapse on each other.
- the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer 10 in accordance with the present invention represents a novel arrangement of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer providing a low spring rate compared to the comparable conventional collapsible spacers, hence less sensitivity to wear and maladjustment that allows reliable bearing preloading and drastically reduces the labor cost of assembling and preloading of the tapered bearings in the various gear mechanisms.
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates in general to collapsible spacers adapted to be placed between a pair of bearings mounted on an axle or spindle or the like for use as a bearing preloading element, and more particularly to a multi-convoluted collapsible spacer having a low spring rate.
- 2. Description of the Prior Art
- Typically, drive shafts in many applications are rotatably mounted within a gear housing through tapered roller bearings. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a
pinion shaft 102 driven by an internal combustion engine through a transmission, is rotatably supported in adifferential carrier 104 that forms part of a vehicular drive axle. Thepinion shaft 102 has at its inner end abeveled pinion gear 110, which meshes with abeveled ring gear 112 in thecarrier 104. Thering gear 112 in turn is connected to a differential mechanism (not shown). Here, the mesh of thepinion gear 110 and thering gear 112 must be proper, lest the differential mechanism will generate excessive noise and wear rapidly. As shown in FIG. 1, thepinion shaft 102 rotates within thedifferential carrier 104 on inner and outertapered roller bearings - Typically, the
bearings shaft 102 will rotate in thecarrier 104 without any radial or axial play) and eliminate all axial and radial free motion between theshaft 102 and thecarrier 104, while still allowing rotation with minimum friction within thecarrier 104, thus achieving the proper mesh. However, too much preload will cause thebearings shaft 102. - The
pinion shaft 102 extends through atubular extension 114 on thecarrier 104, the axis of which coincides with the axis x. Theshaft 102 adjacent to thebeveled pinion gear 110 possesses aninner bearing seat 116 around which the inner bearing 106 fits and anouter seat 118 around which the outer bearing 108 fits. Theouter seat 118 is considerably longer than theinner seat 116 and terminates at ashoulder 120, which is located between the twoseats pinion shaft 102 is provided withthreads 122 over which anut 124 is threaded. Indeed, thenut 124 is turned down against theshaft 102 to clamp thebearings drive flange 126 and thepinion gear 110. The extent to which thenut 124 is turned determines the setting for thebearings - The
nut 124 serves to preload thebearings outer bearing 108 over anouter bearing seat 118 on thepinion shaft 102. Initially, before adjustment, thebearings pinion shaft 102 can move both axially and radially with respect to thedifferential carrier 104 and, of course, rotate as well. As thenut 124 is turned down over thethread 122 at the end of theshaft 102, it forces theouter bearing 108 along theouter bearing seat 118 of thepinion shaft 102. After a short distance the outer bearing 108 encounters a convolutedcollapsible spacer 128, which now becomes snugly lodged between theouter bearing 108 and theshoulder 120 at the end of theseat 118. As the advancement continues, still while thebearings spacer 128 collapses. In time, the rollers of the twobearings shaft 102 cannot shift axially or radially with respect to thehousing 102. But some preload is usually desired to insure adequate rigidity or stiffness in thepinion shaft 102 and desired performance from thegears bearings - The convoluted collapsible spacers for use as a bearing preloading elements are well known to those skilled in the art. Conventionally, the collapsible spacers have a substantially unitary thickness, and are made of a relatively thin strip of metal that is formed into a band and is then further formed so as to be convoluted or undulating in cross section, and are adapted for being compressed to a yield point of the material from which the spacers are made and which will thereafter compress under a substantially constant load for a substantial distance.
- The dash line in the FIG. 2 depicts a graph M showing an axial load F applied upon the conventional
collapsible spacer 128 as a function of an axial deformation δ of the spacer, and illustrates graphically the manner in which the conventional spacer performs when it is compressed. Such a spacer, when compressed in the axial direction, will first deform resiliently, like a spring, with the force required to effect the compression increasing substantially linearly with the amount of compression (section A-B′ of the graph M, as indicated by line 130). At a certain amount of compression, a yield strength (or an elastic limit) of the material of the spacer will be reached (point B′ of the graph M), and the spacer will thereafter start to undergo plastic deformation and offer substantially constant resistance to deformation up to a point where the spacer commences to flatten out section (from point B′ of the graph M on, as indicated by line 132). If at point C′ of the graph M, for example, the axial load applied upon the conventional collapsible spacer is released (e.g. by turned thenut 124 up over thethread 122 of theshaft 102 as shown in FIG. 1), the spacer will expand in the axial direction substantially linearly (section C′-D′ of the graph M, as indicated by line 34). - However, the conventional convoluted collapsible spacers have a relatively high spring rate, thus the low amount of “spring back”. The term “spring back” herein refers to a specific resilient deformation of the collapsible spacer in the direction of the expansion thereof when the axial load applied thereupon is released. As a result, they are very sensitive to wear, and are prone to significant change in the bearing preload during the operation that negatively affects bearing life and pinion position.
- Thus, there is a need for a convoluted collapsible spacer having a low spring rate, hence less sensitivity to wear and maladjustment.
- The present invention provides a novel low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer adapted for use as a bearing preloading element. The multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the present invention comprises a substantially tubular body compressible in an axial direction thereof from a predetermined free length to a substantially shorter length. The tubular body includes a yielding zone and an elastic zone adjacent to said yielding zone. Each of the yielding and elastic zones has at least one convolution curved in the same radial direction and interconnected with a central convolution curved in the opposite radial direction to the convolutions of the yielding and elastic zones.
- Preferably, each of the yielding zone and the elastic zone of the collapsible spacer of the present invention has one convex convolution interconnected with the central concave convolution.
- Moreover, in accordance with the present invention, the tubular body of the collapsible spacer of the present invention has a substantially variable thickness in the axial direction. More specifically, an average thickness of the body of the collapsible spacer in the elastic zone is substantially greater than an average thickness of the body in the yielding zone. Such an arrangement provides the collapsible spacer a substantially higher resiliency in the axial direction in the elastic zone than in the yielding zone. As a whole, the novel collapsible spacer has a lower spring rate, as compared to the conventional collapsible spacers, thus larger amount of “spring back”.
- Furthermore, in accordance with the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the convolutions of the yielding zone and the elastic zone of the spacer have substantially the same outside diameter.
- In the alternative embodiment, an outside diameter of the convolution of the yielding zone is substantially smaller than an outside diameter of the elastic zone of the spacer.
- Therefore, the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the present invention represents a novel arrangement of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer providing less sensitivity to wear and maladjustment that allows reliable bearing preloading and drastically reduces the labor cost of assembling and preloading of the tapered bearings in the various gear mechanisms.
- Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein:
- FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a typical differential carrier of the prior art including a pinion shaft mounted on a pair of tapered bearings and preloaded with a conventional collapsible spacer;
- FIG. 2 is a graph showing load-axial deformation curves for the conventional collapsible spacer and a multi-convoluted collapsible spacer of the present invention;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the alternative embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer in accordance with the alternative embodiment of the present invention.
- The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with the reference to accompanying drawings.
- FIGS. 3 and 4 show a substantially tubular multi-convoluted
collapsible spacer 10 according to the present invention before assembly with members, which it is to engage and be compressed between. Thecollapsible spacer 10 has a substantiallytubular body 12 formed of a strip of metal pressed or rolled to the desired configuration defining an axis of symmetry (or a central axis) 14 defining an axial direction of thespacer 10. Thecollapsible spacer 10 is compressible in the axial direction thereof (the direction of the central axis 14) from a predetermined free length to a substantially shorter length. Preferably, the material of thebody 12 of thecollapsible spacer 10 is a strong ductile metal, such as precipitation hardening nickel alloys, or austenitic stainless steels, which will sustain substantial deformation without fracture. Thebody 12 of thecollapsible spacer 10 is rolled into a tubular configuration from the metal strip by forming rolls, and, thereafter, thebody 12 may be stress relieved by annealing, and may be hardened to a desired degree by heat treatment. - The
spacer 10 has axiallyopposite end portions 16 a and 16 b each including a substantially annular contact face 18 a and 18 b, respectively. The contact faces 18 a and 18 b lie in planes substantially parallel with each other and substantially perpendicular to thecentral axis 14. - As illustrated in FIG. 3, the
collapsible spacer 10 consists of smoothly joined curved convolutions. In the uncompressed condition in which the element is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the contact faces 18 a and 18 b are substantially parallel with each other. Preferably, the material of thecollapsible spacer 10 is a strong ductile metal, such as precipitation hardening nickel alloys, or austenitic stainless steels, which will sustain substantial deformation without fracture. - As further illustrated, the
tubular body 12 of thecollapsible spacer 10 includes a substantially tubular yieldingzone 20 adjacent to oneend portion 16 a thereof, and a substantially tubularelastic zone 22 adjacent to the other end portion 16 b thereof. The yieldingzone 20 includes at least oneconvolution 24. Similarly, theelastic zone 22 includes at least oneconvolution 26 integrally connected to theconvolution 24 via acentral convolution 25. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the specific number of convolutions in the yieldingzone 20 or in theelastic zone 22 may be subject to variation depending on the particular application. However, preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each of the yieldingzone 20 and theelastic zone 22 of thecollapsible spacer 10 of the present invention has oneconvex convolution - Preferably, as shown in FIG. 4, the
convolutions central convolution 25 is concave radially inwardly. It will be appreciated that the respective convolutions may be concave toward the outside or inside of thebody 12 of thespacer 10, although the convolutions in any case will alternate with regard to the direction of concavity. - Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the
tubular body 12 of thecollapsible spacer 10 of the present invention has a substantially variable thickness in the direction of theaxis 14. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, an average thickness of thebody 12 in the elastic zone 22is substantially greater than an average thickness of thebody 12 in the yieldingzone 20. Correspondingly, as clearly shown in FIG. 4, a thickness t2 of thebody 12 at an apex of theconvolution 26 of theelastic zone 22 is substantially greater than a thickness t1 of thebody 12 at an apex of theconvolution 24 of the yieldingzone 20. Due to its greater average thickness, thetubular body 12 of thespacer 10 displays substantially higher elasticity in thezone 22 than in thezone 20. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, thebody 12 in theelastic zone 22 is in average as much as 1.5 mm thicker than in the yieldingzone 20. It will be appreciated that the specific difference in the average thickness of thebody 12 of thespacer 10 between the yieldingzone 20 and theelastic zone 22 is the subject to variation. - In the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the
convolutions zone 20 and theelastic zone 22 of thespacer 10 have substantially the same outside diameter. - FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a multi-convoluted
collapsible spacer 10′ of the alternative embodiment of the present invention. Components, which are unchanged from, or function in the same way as in the preferred exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 are labeled with the same reference numerals without describing detail since similarities between the corresponding parts in the two embodiments will be readily perceived by the reader. The main difference of the solution of FIGS. 5 and 6 with respect to that of FIGS. 3 and 4 lies in that in this case an outside radius R1 of theconvolution 24 of thebody 12 in the yieldingzone 20 is substantially smaller than an outside radius R2 of theconvolution 26 of thebody 12 in theelastic zone 22 of thespacer 10. - The solid line in the FIG. 2 depicts a graph N showing an axial load F applied upon the
collapsible spacer 10 as a function of an axial deformation δ of thespacer 10, and illustrates graphically the manner in which thespacer 10 of the present invention performs when it is compressed. Initially, when thebody 12 of thecollapsible spacer 10 is compressed in theaxial direction 14, both theconvolution 24 of the yieldingzone 20 and theconvolution 26 of theelastic zone 22 thereof will first deform resiliently, like a spring, with the force required to effect the compression increasing substantially linearly with the amount of compression (section A-B of the graph N, as indicated by line 30). At a certain amount of compression, a yield strength (or an elastic limit) of the material of thespacer 10 will be reached (point B of the graph N), and theconvolution 24 of the yieldingzone 20 of thespacer 10 will thereafter start to undergo plastic deformation and offer substantially constant resistance to deformation up to a point where the spacer commences to flatten out section (from point B of the graph N on, as indicated by line 32), while theconvolution 26 of theelastic zone 22 will remain elastically deformed. If at point C of the graph N, for example, the axial load applied upon thecollapsible spacer 10 is released (e.g. by turned the nut 138 up over the thread 136 of theshaft 102 as shown in FIG. 1), thespacer 10 will expand in the axial direction substantially linearly (section C-D of the graph N, as indicated by line 34) exhibiting much lower spring rate than the conventional collapsible spacers, as represented by the graph M in FIG. 1, due to elasticity of theelastic section 22. It should be noted that theline 30 of the graph N is substantially parallel to theline 34 thereof. - It will be appreciated that the low spring rate multi-convoluted
collapsible spacer 10 of the present invention may be compressed and released repeatedly, and each time that thespacer 10 is compressed along theline 32, thereturn line 34 when it is released will remain parallel to theline 30, but displaced rightward on the graph. The load-deformation characteristic of thespacer 10 will, thus, be maintained substantially constant throughout the axial deformation of thespacer 10 until the convolutions of the spacer start to collapse on each other. - Therefore, the multi-convoluted
collapsible spacer 10 in accordance with the present invention represents a novel arrangement of the multi-convoluted collapsible spacer providing a low spring rate compared to the comparable conventional collapsible spacers, hence less sensitivity to wear and maladjustment that allows reliable bearing preloading and drastically reduces the labor cost of assembling and preloading of the tapered bearings in the various gear mechanisms. - The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Statutes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments disclosed hereinabove were chosen in order to best illustrate the principles of the present invention and its practical application to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated, as long as the principles described herein are followed. Thus, changes can be made in the above-described invention without departing from the intent and scope thereof. It is also intended that the scope of the present invention be defined by the claims appended thereto.
Claims (12)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/156,229 US6793398B2 (en) | 2002-05-29 | 2002-05-29 | Low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer |
GB0312092A GB2391054B (en) | 2002-05-29 | 2003-05-27 | Low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/156,229 US6793398B2 (en) | 2002-05-29 | 2002-05-29 | Low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20030223666A1 true US20030223666A1 (en) | 2003-12-04 |
US6793398B2 US6793398B2 (en) | 2004-09-21 |
Family
ID=22558667
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/156,229 Expired - Fee Related US6793398B2 (en) | 2002-05-29 | 2002-05-29 | Low spring rate multi-convoluted collapsible spacer |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US6793398B2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2391054B (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN103291801A (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2013-09-11 | 达德科公司 | Gas spring and gas spring components |
DE102017213561A1 (en) | 2017-08-04 | 2019-02-07 | Zf Friedrichshafen Ag | Positive connection between a first shaft mounted in a first shaft and a second shaft mounted in a second housing |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA2522374C (en) * | 2005-10-25 | 2012-01-24 | Orren Johnson | Method of providing a consistent preload on thrust bearings in a bearing assembly |
US20070116397A1 (en) * | 2005-11-18 | 2007-05-24 | The Timken Company | Unitized bearing assembly and method of assembling the same |
DE102007028948B3 (en) * | 2007-06-22 | 2008-12-04 | Audi Ag | Tool for mounting a machine element |
US8192102B2 (en) * | 2008-11-26 | 2012-06-05 | The Boeing Company | Load absorption system |
DE102011009101A1 (en) | 2011-01-21 | 2012-07-26 | Audi Ag | Device for supporting a pinion shaft of a differential for motor vehicles |
US20180340447A1 (en) * | 2017-05-25 | 2018-11-29 | General Electric Company | Crushable spacer and bolted joint for a gas turbine engine |
US10208790B1 (en) * | 2017-11-03 | 2019-02-19 | Temper Corporation | Adjustable spacer with hardened ends |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA969210A (en) | 1969-07-14 | 1975-06-10 | John E. Rode | Deformable metallic member, especially for a static seal |
US3774896A (en) | 1972-02-16 | 1973-11-27 | Temper Corp | Dual rate cylindrical spring |
US3900232A (en) | 1973-09-26 | 1975-08-19 | Temper Corp | Arrangement for preloading bearings |
US4125929A (en) | 1974-03-04 | 1978-11-21 | Temper Corporation | Deformable metallic element |
US4611935A (en) | 1982-08-13 | 1986-09-16 | Temper-Ring Equipment Corporation | Adjustable shaft support arrangement |
US5125156A (en) | 1990-11-19 | 1992-06-30 | The Timken Company | Process for setting bearings |
US5549397A (en) | 1994-02-03 | 1996-08-27 | Temper Corporation | Adapter sleeve and an adjustable spacer with radial extension useable thereon |
DE19633030C1 (en) | 1996-08-16 | 1997-12-18 | Seeger Orbis Gmbh & Co Ohg | Tension socket for compensating axial clearance between machine components |
-
2002
- 2002-05-29 US US10/156,229 patent/US6793398B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-05-27 GB GB0312092A patent/GB2391054B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN103291801A (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2013-09-11 | 达德科公司 | Gas spring and gas spring components |
CN103291801B (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2016-08-24 | 达德科公司 | The gentle spring members of air spring |
DE102017213561A1 (en) | 2017-08-04 | 2019-02-07 | Zf Friedrichshafen Ag | Positive connection between a first shaft mounted in a first shaft and a second shaft mounted in a second housing |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6793398B2 (en) | 2004-09-21 |
GB0312092D0 (en) | 2003-07-02 |
GB2391054B (en) | 2005-06-29 |
GB2391054A (en) | 2004-01-28 |
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